A/N: This is for the Every Kind of Pairing Challenge (platonic).
I picked a dress off the rail that would suit Hermione. It was pale blue, a-line, v-neck, long sleeved dress which would look perfect on her.
"What about this, Hermione?" I asked, holding it up for her to see.
"I don't know Ginny. People will be able to see-"
"Nothing," I said, interrupting her, "They will be able to see nothing as the sleeves will hide your scar."
She bit her lip as she took a good look at it.
I knew she was considering it as an option because she kept staring at it.
After Bellatrix had carved the word 'mudblood' on her arm at Malfoy Manor, she had become extremely self conscious about it. Sometimes she went as far as wearing long sleeved tops or jumpers all year round because she didn't want people to stare at her. I had tried to tell her that nobody would care, but she didn't believe me. All I wanted to do today was prove that she could still wear a dress, or normal clothes and not be self conscious. It would be hard to do, but it would be worth it in the end.
"I will put it in the maybe pile. You can at least try it on and see how you like it," I suggested.
"That sounds good. I only have a few things on there so far," she said.
All of them had opaque long sleeves, but the dresses themselves all varied in style and colours- none of them suited her as much as the blue one though.
A while later, I was waiting outside the changing room for Hermione to show me a few of the dresses she had put aside. There wasn't many as she had kept changing her mind about them - except the blue one I had picked out.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She had taken almost twice as long putting this one on than the rest and I was starting to get worried.
"I'm fine," she said, before opening the curtain.
She was wearing the blue dress and it fit perfectly just as I thought it would.
"Do you like it?" I asked softly.
"I love it. You were right when you said that it would cover most of the scar despite the fact that the sleeves are lace. I don't think many people would see it," she said.
"I'm glad you like it."
All I've ever wanted was to help her feel beautiful and confident, almost like she used to be. It is going to take a long time, but it will be worth it.